Jubilant July

Here we are already in July! It’s been scorching hot weather here for days. Temperatures have reached in the 90’s and it’s apparent most people welcome it! I know I sure do, but worry about Tom who has to work in it. Cars roll by with windows all the way down, people walk around in shorts and sunglasses and head for a cool drink. Children dash back and forth in sprinklers or immerse in cool pools.

 

The beautiful heat wave has launched my flowers a bloom. A splash  of rainbow colors dot my front yard. Several times a day I walk barefoot the plush grass and with a jubilant feeling. It’s July and all my flowers are growing as well as my vegetable garden. Opposite the white glow of winter, July brings in bright yellows, rich reds, dainty purples and verdant greens. 

Wouldn’t you love to stroll this corner and take in all the magic?

My latest find is this Sombrero Salsa red Cone-flower! I’m planting it after the heat wave next to my newest plant that has gone by. I already have wine purple Cone-flowers interspersed between my Coreopsis but now will have another color to add to the mix. They are not bloomed yet and it may be a few weeks until they do.

Here’s a street side view of our little house. God bless “her” as she keeps us cool in the heat. The foundation is of rock and years ago they actually had a root cellar in the basement. 

Yesterday I mulched my shady garden a bit more and I love the eye-popping red mulch with the greens!

Many of you already know that I’m growing sunflowers for an important purpose: my son’s wedding. Back before the heat arrived we had a drenching rain for a whole day and a half and these beauties are the result! How incredible they are….I do hope with a shot of Miracle Gro every week, they will bloom before August 18th.

Well, friends that’s it for now! As you can see I’ve been quite busy gardening and indulging in my yard. That’s why I really love summer and the nice temperatures to enjoy its gifts.

Happy July Fourth to you all, if you are an American. God bless the U.S.A.

All My Best,

Heart and Soul

Happy Fourth of July!

 

Good Morning to you all from the far north of the United States, just a day before our Fourth of July celebration. As a younger girl this holiday meant family cook-outs, festive fireworks displays, watermelon, outside games and swimming and the start of the fun summer season. As I age with a grown family and I’ve seen a little bit of the world, I recognize the true significance of this day in this country. It’s a day of remembrance of when our forefathers came together as one and created this special nation independent of Great Britain and the King. It’s time for Americans to salute the old glory of stars and stripes and pay homage to this great nation!

 

 

 

 

The Stars and Stripes

 

 

 

I have to dive into politics and recent criticisms of our President momentarily because  I’ve been really discouraged and truthfully, pretty embarrassed while watching all the news of him.  Despite this, four years passes by quickly (let’s hope) and hopefully our people will pick a stronger and honorable leader, someone capable of leading our great nation. Whatever circus is churning and scandals that arise, our country is still beautiful and we experience precious freedom that many around the world just don’t have. Many countries are jealous of what we have and terrorists praise the divisions that exist right now, especially between Democrats and Republicans. This is when we should push our differences aside and get the work done for all of us.

 

 

Tomorrow our family will have a quiet cook out in our yard with hummingbirds racing from flower to flower and hopefully some well needed sunshine to warm our souls. Later we may hit the fireworks not far away and see all the blazing color light up the night. It’s a restful and low key day without the hoopla of big parties or parades, but that’s what we desire and enjoy.

 

 

As we indulge in these little celebrations, I’ll be thankful for my freedoms and put politics aside for a day or two.  This land continues to be my forever home and as an American, I salute all the active and past troops that have defended our great country!

 

To my fellow bloggers, happy writing and have a joyous week! To fellow Americans, I hope you all have a festive and safe Fourth of July!

 

All My Best,

Heart and Soul ❤

 

 

 

Tom grilling last year and this year we’re doing a beer can chicken on the grill! Talk about a redneck picnic!

Fourth of July Family and Freedom🇱🇷

 

 

 

As I look back on our little Fourth of July celebration I think mostly of how quiet and peaceful it was. It was a raging hot day in Northern New Hampshire. It was unusual to have less car traffic zooming by our home but nice to have some quiet. Probably many people traveled away for the holiday or stayed put for a cook out, like we did.

 

It was a day of family and food, of course!  It was nothing fancy or booming spectacular like many Americans indulge in, but that’s okay with me! A morning of reflection and sunshine was well needed. My husband left briefly to tend to a neighborhood pool, as I set my fine blue Willow plates out on our outside table. I thought of using paper plates for our cook out but immediately decided that it was a special occasion and why not use the fine dishes?

 

 

 

Dylan and his sweet girlfriend Lexie arrived just before noon. With cold raspberry lemonade in hand and a cold beer for my husband, we walked the yard with Lexie’s dog Nugget. He was fascinated with this new place and smelled every inch of it! It was great having a dog around, as we just have cats and they stay inside.

 

The young men and Lexie played a quiet non competitive game of croquet. Nugget rested in the cool shade of the picnic table. Tom worked the grill with a beer in tow, as I finished up cooking our corn on the cob. As Tom joked about how a deer ate my garden, He said, ” Well, there he is right now!” Lexie and I thought he was joking and laughed giddily but when we looked, there was a pristine deer crossing the road from our pond. It was so peaceful and was meant to share in our day! 

 

We all sat at the table with the hot sun cooking us as we ate. It was so steamy hot that the butter on the butter dish melted instantly and we all laughed that it would spread easier now! Cheeseburgers and black bean burgers charred from the grill, macaroni salad, German potato salad ( the first time I made it and it was delicious!), pickles, chips, fresh fruit salad were all on the menu. A big part of July Fourth parties is the scrumptious food, so we ate with vigor  and it was all so good! 

 

 Dylan and Lexie left to go for a hike. An afternoon of leisure and naps were upon us. Later we hopped into the car and rode to Bretton Woods to see the fireworks. In recent years the Mount Washington Hotel put them off but we think that may have been Saturday and this display was separate. We sat in camp chairs by the side of a busy road watching red, white and blue fireworks paint the sky. With a few crackling pops and splashes of vivid color, it was over within minutes. 

Long gone are neighborhood parties where we lounged all day or floated in the pool. I  brought my crockpot brimming with chili and our family stayed for night fireworks and a fire at Tom’s sister’s house. Although we all miss those fun times and reminisce about them, this  celebration was still symbolic of our freedom. A quiet day was simple, yet meaningful. It was a day to remember everything that is great about our country, land of the free and brave. America isn’t perfect nor its politicians, but it’s home, my home and I feel blessed to be here.

 

All My Best,

Heart and Soul 🇱🇷❤️